51
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Gordon KS, Kyung T, Perez CR, Holec PV, Ramos A, Zhang AQ, Agarwal Y, Liu Y, Koch C, Starchenko A, Joughin BA, Lauffenburger DA, Irvine DJ, Hemann MT, Birnbaum ME. Screening for CD19-specific chimaeric antigen receptors with enhanced signalling via a barcoded library of intracellular domains. Nat Biomed Eng 2022; 6:855-866. [PMID: 35710755 PMCID: PMC9389442 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-022-00896-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The immunostimulatory intracellular domains (ICDs) of chimaeric antigen receptors (CARs) are essential for converting antigen recognition into antitumoural function. Although there are many possible combinations of ICDs, almost all current CARs rely on combinations of CD3𝛇, CD28 and 4-1BB. Here we show that a barcoded library of 700,000 unique CD19-specific CARs with diverse ICDs cloned into lentiviral vectors and transduced into Jurkat T cells can be screened at high throughput via cell sorting and next-generation sequencing to optimize CAR signalling for antitumoural functions. By using this screening approach, we identified CARs with new ICD combinations that, compared with clinically available CARs, endowed human primary T cells with comparable tumour control in mice and with improved proliferation, persistence, exhaustion and cytotoxicity after tumour rechallenge in vitro. The screening strategy can be adapted to other disease models, cell types and selection conditions, and could be used to improve adoptive cell therapies and to expand their utility to new disease indications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khloe S. Gordon
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre, Singapore 138602, Singapore
| | - Taeyoon Kyung
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Caleb R. Perez
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Patrick V. Holec
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Azucena Ramos
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Angela Q. Zhang
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Health, Science, and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Yash Agarwal
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Yunpeng Liu
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Catherine Koch
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Alina Starchenko
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Brian A. Joughin
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Douglas A. Lauffenburger
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Ragon Institute of MIT, MGH, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Darrell J. Irvine
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Ragon Institute of MIT, MGH, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Michael T. Hemann
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Michael E. Birnbaum
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre, Singapore 138602, Singapore,Ragon Institute of MIT, MGH, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA,Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to M.E.B.
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Immune Checkpoint Proteins, Metabolism and Adhesion Molecules: Overlooked Determinants of CAR T-Cell Migration? Cells 2022; 11:cells11111854. [PMID: 35681548 PMCID: PMC9180731 DOI: 10.3390/cells11111854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of T cells genetically engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) has demonstrated striking efficacy for the treatment of several hematological malignancies, including B-cell lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. However, many patients still do not respond to this therapy or eventually relapse after an initial remission. In most solid tumors for which CAR T-cell therapy has been tested, efficacy has been very limited. In this context, it is of paramount importance to understand the mechanisms of tumor resistance to CAR T cells. Possible factors contributing to such resistance have been identified, including inherent CAR T-cell dysfunction, the presence of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and tumor-intrinsic factors. To control tumor growth, CAR T cells have to migrate actively enabling a productive conjugate with their targets. To date, many cells and factors contained within the tumor microenvironment have been reported to negatively control the migration of T cells and their ability to reach cancer cells. Recent evidence suggests that additional determinants, such as immune checkpoint proteins, cellular metabolism, and adhesion molecules, may modulate the motility of CAR T cells in tumors. Here, we review the potential impact of these determinants on CAR T-cell motility, and we discuss possible strategies to restore intratumoral T-cell migration with a special emphasis on approaches targeting these determinants.
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53
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Development of Cancer Immunotherapies. Cancer Treat Res 2022; 183:1-48. [PMID: 35551655 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-96376-7_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy, or the utilization of components of the immune system to target and eliminate cancer, has become a highly active area of research in the past several decades and a common treatment strategy for several cancer types. The concept of harnessing the immune system for this purpose originated over 100 years ago when a physician by the name of William Coley successfully treated several of his cancer patients with a combination of live and attenuated bacteria, later known as "Coley's Toxins", after observing a subset of prior patients enter remission following their diagnosis with the common bacterial infection, erysipelas. However, it was not until late in the twentieth century that cancer immunotherapies were developed for widespread use, thereby transforming the treatment landscape of numerous cancer types. Pivotal studies elucidating molecular and cellular functions of immune cells, such as the discovery of IL-2 and production of monoclonal antibodies, fostered the development of novel techniques for studying the immune system and ultimately the development and approval of several cancer immunotherapies by the United States Food and Drug Association in the 1980s and 1990s, including the tuberculosis vaccine-Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, IL-2, and the CD20-targeting monoclonal antibody. Approval of the first therapeutic cancer vaccine, Sipuleucel-T, for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and the groundbreaking success and approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy in the last decade, have driven an explosion of interest in and pursuit of novel cancer immunotherapy strategies. A broad range of modalities ranging from antibodies to adoptive T cell therapies is under investigation for the generalized treatment of a broad spectrum of cancers as well as personalized medicine. This chapter will focus on the recent advances, current strategies, and future outlook of immunotherapy development for the treatment of cancer.
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54
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Engineering-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14092266. [PMID: 35565395 PMCID: PMC9100203 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14092266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that can be genetically engineered and differentiated into different types of immune cells, providing an unlimited resource for developing off-the-shelf cell therapies. Here, we present a comprehensive review that describes the current stages of iPSC-based cell therapies, including iPSC-derived T, nature killer (NK), invariant natural killer T (iNKT), gamma delta T (γδ T), mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, and macrophages (Mφs). Abstract Cell-based immunotherapy, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, has revolutionized the treatment of hematological malignancies, especially in patients who are refractory to other therapies. However, there are critical obstacles that hinder the widespread clinical applications of current autologous therapies, such as high cost, challenging large-scale manufacturing, and inaccessibility to the therapy for lymphopenia patients. Therefore, it is in great demand to generate the universal off-the-shelf cell products with significant scalability. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide an “unlimited supply” for cell therapy because of their unique self-renewal properties and the capacity to be genetically engineered. iPSCs can be differentiated into different immune cells, such as T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, gamma delta T (γδ T), mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, and macrophages (Mφs). In this review, we describe iPSC-based allogeneic cell therapy, the different culture methods of generating iPSC-derived immune cells (e.g., iPSC-T, iPSC-NK, iPSC-iNKT, iPSC-γδT, iPSC-MAIT and iPSC-Mφ), as well as the recent advances in iPSC-T and iPSC-NK cell therapies, particularly in combinations with CAR-engineering. We also discuss the current challenges and the future perspectives in this field towards the foreseeable applications of iPSC-based immune therapy.
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55
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Shi X, Yan L, Shang J, Kang L, Yan Z, Jin S, Zhu M, Chang H, Gong F, Zhou J, Chen G, Pan J, Liu D, Zhu X, Tang F, Liu M, Liu W, Yao F, Yu L, Wu D, Fu C. Anti-CD19 and anti-BCMA CAR T cell therapy followed by lenalidomide maintenance after autologous stem-cell transplantation for high-risk newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Am J Hematol 2022; 97:537-547. [PMID: 35114022 DOI: 10.1002/ajh.26486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Few prospective studies have examined posttransplant chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell infusion as candidates for front-line consolidation therapy for high-risk multiple myeloma (MM) patients. This single-arm exploratory clinical trial is the first to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sequential anti-CD19 and anti-BCMA CAR-T cell infusion, followed by lenalidomide maintenance after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), in 10 high-risk newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients. The treatment was generally well tolerated, with hematologic toxicities being the most common grade 3 or higher adverse events. All patients had cytokine release syndrome (CRS), which was grade 1 in 5 patients (50%) and grade 2 in 5 patients (50%). No neurotoxicity was observed after CAR-T cell infusion. The overall response rate was 100%, with the best response being 90% for a stringent complete response (sCR), and 10% for a complete response (CR). At a median follow-up of 42 (36-49) months, seven (70%) of 10 patients showed sustained minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity for more than 2 years. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were not reached. Although the sample size was small and there was a lack of control in this single-arm study, the clinical benefits observed warrant ongoing randomized controlled trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolan Shi
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Lingzhi Yan
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Jingjing Shang
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Liqing Kang
- Shanghai Unicar‐Therapy Bio‐medicine Technology Co. Ltd. Shanghai China
| | - Zhi Yan
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Song Jin
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Mingqing Zhu
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Huirong Chang
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Feiran Gong
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Jiazi Zhou
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Guanghua Chen
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Jinlan Pan
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Dandan Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Xiaming Zhu
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Fang Tang
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Minghong Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Pathology The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Feirong Yao
- Department of Radiology The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Lei Yu
- Shanghai Unicar‐Therapy Bio‐medicine Technology Co. Ltd. Shanghai China
| | - Depei Wu
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
- Institute of Blood and Marrow Transplantation Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, Soochow University Suzhou China
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection Soochow University Suzhou China
| | - Chengcheng Fu
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University Suzhou China
- Institute of Blood and Marrow Transplantation Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, Soochow University Suzhou China
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection Soochow University Suzhou China
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Karasarides M, Cogdill AP, Robbins PB, Bowden M, Burton EM, Butterfield LH, Cesano A, Hammer C, Haymaker CL, Horak CE, McGee HM, Monette A, Rudqvist NP, Spencer CN, Sweis RF, Vincent BG, Wennerberg E, Yuan J, Zappasodi R, Lucey VMH, Wells DK, LaVallee T. Hallmarks of Resistance to Immune-Checkpoint Inhibitors. Cancer Immunol Res 2022; 10:372-383. [PMID: 35362046 PMCID: PMC9381103 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-20-0586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), although revolutionary in improving long-term survival outcomes, are mostly effective in patients with immune-responsive tumors. Most patients with cancer either do not respond to ICIs at all or experience disease progression after an initial period of response. Treatment resistance to ICIs remains a major challenge and defines the biggest unmet medical need in oncology worldwide. In a collaborative workshop, thought leaders from academic, biopharma, and nonprofit sectors convened to outline a resistance framework to support and guide future immune-resistance research. Here, we explore the initial part of our effort by collating seminal discoveries through the lens of known biological processes. We highlight eight biological processes and refer to them as immune resistance nodes. We examine the seminal discoveries that define each immune resistance node and pose critical questions, which, if answered, would greatly expand our notion of immune resistance. Ultimately, the expansion and application of this work calls for the integration of multiomic high-dimensional analyses from patient-level data to produce a map of resistance phenotypes that can be utilized to guide effective drug development and improved patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Karasarides
- Worldwide Medical Oncology, Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey.,Corresponding Authors: Maria Karasarides, Worldwide Medical Oncology, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boston, MA 021273401. E-mail: ; and Theresa LaVallee, 1 Letterman Drive, Suite D3500, San Francisco, CA 94129. Phone: 628-899-7593; E-mail:
| | - Alexandria P. Cogdill
- Immunai, New York, New York.,Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Michaela Bowden
- Translational Medicine, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Elizabeth M. Burton
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson, Houston, Texas
| | - Lisa H. Butterfield
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | | | - Christian Hammer
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Genentech, South San Francisco, California.,Department of Human Genetics, Genentech, South San Francisco, California
| | - Cara L. Haymaker
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Christine E. Horak
- Global Drug Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Lawrenceville, New Jersey
| | - Heather M. McGee
- Department of Radiation Oncology, City of Hope National Medical Center and Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckmann Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Anne Monette
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Christine N. Spencer
- Department of Informatics, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California.,University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Randy F. Sweis
- Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Committee on Immunology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Benjamin G. Vincent
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | | | - Jianda Yuan
- Translational Oncology, Early Oncology Development Department, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, New Jersey
| | - Roberta Zappasodi
- Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York.,Ludwig Collaborative and Swim Across America Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | | | - Daniel K. Wells
- Immunai, New York, New York.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California
| | - Theresa LaVallee
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California.,Corresponding Authors: Maria Karasarides, Worldwide Medical Oncology, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boston, MA 021273401. E-mail: ; and Theresa LaVallee, 1 Letterman Drive, Suite D3500, San Francisco, CA 94129. Phone: 628-899-7593; E-mail:
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57
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Wang Y, Buck A, Grimaud M, Culhane AC, Kodangattil S, Razimbaud C, Bonal DM, Nguyen QD, Zhu Z, Wei K, O'Donnell ML, Huang Y, Signoretti S, Choueiri TK, Freeman GJ, Zhu Q, Marasco WA. Anti-CAIX BBζ CAR4/8 T cells exhibit superior efficacy in a ccRCC mouse model. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2022; 24:385-399. [PMID: 35118195 PMCID: PMC8792103 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2021.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Improving CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors requires a better understanding of CAR design and cellular composition. Here, we compared second-generation (BBζ and 28ζ) with third-generation (28BBζ) carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX)-targeted CAR constructs and investigated the antitumor effect of CAR-T cells with different CD4/CD8 proportions in vitro and in vivo. The results demonstrated that BBζ exhibited superior efficacy compared with 28ζ and 28BBζ CAR-T cells in a clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) skrc-59 cell bearing NSG-SGM3 mouse model. The mice treated with a single dose of BBζ CD4/CD8 mixture (CAR4/8) showed complete tumor remission and remained tumor-free 72 days after CAR-T cells infusion. In the other CAR-T and control groups, tumor-infiltrating T cells were recovered and profiled. We found that BBζ CAR8 cells upregulated expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and cytotoxicity-associated genes, while downregulating inhibitory immune checkpoint receptor genes and diminishing differentiation of regulatory T cells (Treg cells), leading to excellent therapeutic efficacy in vivo. Increased memory phenotype, elevated tumor infiltration, and decreased exhaustion genes were observed in the CD4/8 untransduced T (UNT) cells compared with CD8 alone, indicating that CD4/8 would be the favored cellular composition for CAR-T cell therapy with long-term persistence. In summary, these findings support that BBζ CAR4/8 cells are a highly potent, clinically translatable cell therapy for ccRCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufei Wang
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alicia Buck
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Marion Grimaud
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Aedin C. Culhane
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Limerick Digital Cancer Research Center, Health Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Limerick, Limerick V94 T9PX, Ireland
| | - Sreekumar Kodangattil
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Cecile Razimbaud
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Dennis M. Bonal
- Lurie Family Imaging Center, Center for Biomedical Imaging in Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Quang-De Nguyen
- Lurie Family Imaging Center, Center for Biomedical Imaging in Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Zhu Zhu
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kevin Wei
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Madison L. O'Donnell
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Ying Huang
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Sabina Signoretti
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Toni K. Choueiri
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Gordon J. Freeman
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Quan Zhu
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wayne A. Marasco
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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58
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Gumber D, Wang LD. Improving CAR-T immunotherapy: Overcoming the challenges of T cell exhaustion. EBioMedicine 2022; 77:103941. [PMID: 35301179 PMCID: PMC8927848 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.103941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has emerged as a cancer treatment with enormous potential, demonstrating impressive antitumor activity in the treatment of hematological malignancies. However, CAR T cell exhaustion is a major limitation to their efficacy, particularly in the application of CAR T cells to solid tumors. CAR T cell exhaustion is thought to be due to persistent antigen stimulation, as well as an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and mitigating exhaustion to maintain CAR T cell effector function and persistence and achieve clinical potency remains a central challenge. Here, we review the underlying mechanisms of exhaustion and discuss emerging strategies to prevent or reverse exhaustion through modifications of the CAR receptor or CAR independent pathways. Additionally, we discuss the potential of these strategies for improving clinical outcomes of CAR T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Gumber
- Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, City of Hope National Medical Center, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte CA, United States; Department of Immunooncology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Leo D Wang
- Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, City of Hope National Medical Center, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte CA, United States; Department of Immunooncology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, United States; Department of Pediatrics, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, United States.
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59
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Poondla N, Sheykhhasan M, Akbari M, Samadi P, Kalhor N, Manoochehri H. The Promise of CAR T-Cell Therapy for the treatment of cancer stem cells: A Short Review. Curr Stem Cell Res Ther 2022; 17:400-406. [PMID: 35176990 DOI: 10.2174/1574888x17666220217101817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a type of sophisticated tailored immunotherapy used to treat a variety of tumors. Immunotherapy works by utilizing the body's own immune system to discover and destroy malignant cells. In CAR-T therapy, a patient's own immune cells are genetically engineered to recognize and attack cancer. Treatments employing CAR T-cells are currently showing promising therapeutic results in patients with hematologic malignancies, and their safety and feasibility in solid tumors has been verified. In this review, we will discuss in detail the likelihood that CAR T-cells inhibit cancer stem cells (CSCs) by selectively targeting their cell surface markers will ultimately improve the therapeutic response for patients with various forms of cancer. This review addresses the major components of cancer stem cell (CSC)-targeted CAR T-cells against malignancies, from bench to bedside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naresh Poondla
- Richmond University Medical Center, 355, Bard Avenue, Staten Island, New York 10310, United States
| | - Mohsen Sheykhhasan
- Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Research Center for Molecular Medicine; Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Qom Branch, Qom, Iran
| | - Mohammad Akbari
- General Physician, Department of Medical School, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon Branch, Mazandaran, Iran
| | - Pouria Samadi
- Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Research Center for Molecular Medicine
| | - Naser Kalhor
- Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Qom Branch, Qom, Iran
| | - Hamed Manoochehri
- Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Iran
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Han MH, Kim CH. Current Immunotherapeutic Approaches for Malignant Gliomas. Brain Tumor Res Treat 2022; 10:1-11. [PMID: 35118842 PMCID: PMC8819466 DOI: 10.14791/btrt.2022.10.e25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is the most common malignant central nervous system (CNS) tumor (48.3%), with a median survival of only about 14.6 months. Although the CNS is an immune-privileged site, activated T cells can cross the blood-brain barrier. The recent successes of several immunotherapies for various cancers have drawn interest in immunotherapy for treatment of malignant glioma. There have been extensive attempts to evaluate the efficiency of immunotherapy against malignant glioma. Passive immunotherapy for malignant glioma includes monoclonal antibody-mediated immunotherapy, cytokine-mediated therapy, and adoptive cell transfer, also known as chimeric antigen receptor T cell treatment. On the other hand, active immunotherapy, which stimulates the patient’s adaptive immune system against specific tumor-associated antigens, includes cancer vaccines that are divided into peptide vaccines and cell-based vaccines. In addition, there is immune checkpoint blockade therapy, which increases the efficiency of immunotherapy by reducing the resistance of malignant glioma to immunotherapy. Despite centuries of efforts, immunotherapeutic successes for malignant glioma remain limited. However, many clinical trials of adoptive cell transfer immunotherapy on malignant glioma are ongoing, and the outcomes are eagerly awaited. In addition, although there are still several obstacles, current clinical trials using personalized neoantigen-based dendritic cell vaccines offer new hope to glioblastoma patients. Furthermore, immune checkpoint targeted therapy is expected to decipher the mechanism of immunotherapy resistance in malignant glioma in the near future. More studies are needed to increase the efficacy of immunotherapy in malignant glioma. We hope that immunotherapy will become a new treatment of malignant glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myung-Hoon Han
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri, Korea
| | - Choong Hyun Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri, Korea.
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Chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cells and their application in the immunotherapy of solid tumours. Expert Rev Mol Med 2022; 24:e7. [PMID: 35086597 PMCID: PMC9617572 DOI: 10.1017/erm.2021.32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In this article, we reviewed the current literature studies and our understanding of the parameters that affect the chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T's) activation, effector function, in vivo persistence, and antitumour effects. These factors include T cell subsets and their differentiation stages, the components of chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) design, the expression promoters and delivery vectors, and the CAR-T production process. The CAR signalling and CAR-T activation were also studied in comparison to TCR. The last section of the review gave special consideration of CAR design for solid tumours, focusing on strategies to improve CAR-T tumour infiltration and survival in the hostile tumour microenvironment. With several hundred clinical trials undergoing worldwide, the pace of CAR-T immunotherapy moves from bench to bedside is unprecedented. We hope that the article will provide readers a clear and comprehensive view of this rapidly evolving field and will help scientists and physician to design effective CAR-Ts immunotherapy for solid tumours.
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Zhang C, Zhuang Q, Liu J, Liu X. Synthetic Biology in Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR T) Cell Engineering. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:1-15. [PMID: 35005887 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic biology is a novel interdisciplinary research area following engineering principles to redesign and construct biological systems for useful purposes. As one of the most notable clinically relevant application of synthetic biology, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have demonstrated tremendous success for the treatment of advanced hematological malignancies in recent years. However, various unsolved obstacles limit the widespread application of CAR T cell therapies, including treatment-associated toxicities, antigen heterogeneity, antigen escape, poor CAR T cell persistence and expansion, and particularly inefficient homing, infiltrating into, and surviving within solid tumors. Accordingly, to improve therapeutic efficacy and minimize side effects, innovative CAR design becomes urgently necessary, and researchers are developing numerous methods to overcome the limitations. Here we summarize currently available bioengineering strategies and discuss the future development from a viewpoint of synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuilin Zhang
- The United Innovation of Mengchao Hepatobiliary Technology Key Laboratory of Fujian Province, Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, P. R. China
- The Liver Center of Fujian Province, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, P. R. China
| | - Qiuyu Zhuang
- The United Innovation of Mengchao Hepatobiliary Technology Key Laboratory of Fujian Province, Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, P. R. China
- The Liver Center of Fujian Province, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, P. R. China
| | - Jingfeng Liu
- The United Innovation of Mengchao Hepatobiliary Technology Key Laboratory of Fujian Province, Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, P. R. China
- Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, 350014, P. R. China
| | - Xiaolong Liu
- The United Innovation of Mengchao Hepatobiliary Technology Key Laboratory of Fujian Province, Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, P. R. China
- The Liver Center of Fujian Province, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, P. R. China
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Zarezadeh Mehrabadi A, Roozbahani F, Ranjbar R, Farzanehpour M, Shahriary A, Dorostkar R, Esmaeili Gouvarchin Ghaleh H. Overview of the pre-clinical and clinical studies about the use of CAR-T cell therapy of cancer combined with oncolytic viruses. World J Surg Oncol 2022; 20:16. [PMID: 35027068 PMCID: PMC8756705 DOI: 10.1186/s12957-021-02486-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cancer is one of the critical issues of the global health system with a high mortality rate even with the available therapies, so using novel therapeutic approaches to reduce the mortality rate and increase the quality of life is sensed more than ever. Main body CAR-T cell therapy and oncolytic viruses are innovative cancer therapeutic approaches with fewer complications than common treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy and significantly improve the quality of life. Oncolytic viruses can selectively proliferate in the cancer cells and destroy them. The specificity of oncolytic viruses potentially maintains the normal cells and tissues intact. T-cells are genetically manipulated and armed against the specific antigens of the tumor cells in CAR-T cell therapy. Eventually, they are returned to the body and act against the tumor cells. Nowadays, virology and oncology researchers intend to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy by utilizing CAR-T cells in combination with oncolytic viruses. Conclusion Using CAR-T cells along with oncolytic viruses can enhance the efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy in destroying the solid tumors, increasing the permeability of the tumor cells for T-cells, reducing the disturbing effects of the immune system, and increasing the success chance in the treatment of this hazardous disease. In recent years, significant progress has been achieved in using oncolytic viruses alone and in combination with other therapeutic approaches such as CAR-T cell therapy in pre-clinical and clinical investigations. This principle necessitates a deeper consideration of these treatment strategies. This review intends to curtly investigate each of these therapeutic methods, lonely and in combination form. We will also point to the pre-clinical and clinical studies about the use of CAR-T cell therapy combined with oncolytic viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Zarezadeh Mehrabadi
- Immunology Department, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Roozbahani
- Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Reza Ranjbar
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdieh Farzanehpour
- Applied Virology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Shahriary
- Chemical Injuries Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ruhollah Dorostkar
- Applied Virology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Shimabukuro-Vornhagen A, Böll B, Schellongowski P, Valade S, Metaxa V, Azoulay E, von Bergwelt-Baildon M. Critical care management of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy recipients. CA Cancer J Clin 2022; 72:78-93. [PMID: 34613616 DOI: 10.3322/caac.21702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a promising immunotherapeutic treatment concept that is changing the treatment approach to hematologic malignancies. The development of CAR T-cell therapy represents a prime example for the successful bench-to-bedside translation of advances in immunology and cellular therapy into clinical practice. The currently available CAR T-cell products have shown high response rates and long-term remissions in patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia and relapsed/refractory lymphoma. However, CAR T-cell therapy can induce severe life-threatening toxicities such as cytokine release syndrome, neurotoxicity, or infection, which require rapid and aggressive medical treatment in the intensive care unit setting. In this review, the authors provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in the clinical management of severe life-threatening events in CAR T-cell recipients. Furthermore, key challenges that have to be overcome to maximize the safety of CAR T cells are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Shimabukuro-Vornhagen
- Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Intensive Care in Hematologic and Oncologic Patients (iCHOP), Cologne, Germany
| | - Boris Böll
- Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Intensive Care in Hematologic and Oncologic Patients (iCHOP), Cologne, Germany
| | - Peter Schellongowski
- Intensive Care in Hematologic and Oncologic Patients (iCHOP), Cologne, Germany
- Department of Medicine I, Intensive Care Unit 13i2, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Center of Excellence in Medical Intensive Care (CEMIC), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sandrine Valade
- Medical Intensive Care Unit, St Louis Teaching Hospital, Public Assistance Hospitals of Paris, Paris, France
| | - Victoria Metaxa
- Department of Critical Care, King's College Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elie Azoulay
- Medical Intensive Care Unit, St Louis Teaching Hospital, Public Assistance Hospitals of Paris, Paris, France
| | - Michael von Bergwelt-Baildon
- Intensive Care in Hematologic and Oncologic Patients (iCHOP), Cologne, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Comprehensive Cancer Center, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Bavarian Center for Cancer Research, Munich, Germany
- Nine-i Multinational Research Network, Service de Médecine Intensive et Réanimaton Médicale, Hôpital Saint-Louis, France
- German Cancer Consortium, Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany
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65
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Guerra E, Di Pietro R, Basile M, Trerotola M, Alberti S. Cancer-Homing CAR-T Cells and Endogenous Immune Population Dynamics. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:405. [PMID: 35008832 PMCID: PMC8745734 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy is based on patient blood-derived T cells and natural killer cells, which are engineered in vitro to recognize a target antigen in cancer cells. Most CAR-T recognize target antigens through immunoglobulin antigen-binding regions. Hence, CAR-T cells do not require the major histocompatibility complex presentation of a target peptide. CAR-T therapy has been tremendously successful in the treatment of leukemias. On the other hand, the clinical efficacy of CAR-T cells is rarely detected against solid tumors. CAR-T-cell therapy of cancer faces many hurdles, starting from the administration of engineered cells, wherein CAR-T cells must encounter the correct chemotactic signals to traffic to the tumor in sufficient numbers. Additional obstacles arise from the hostile environment that cancers provide to CAR-T cells. Intense efforts have gone into tackling these pitfalls. However, we argue that some CAR-engineering strategies may risk missing the bigger picture, i.e., that a successful CAR-T-cell therapy must efficiently intertwine with the complex and heterogeneous responses that the body has already mounted against the tumor. Recent findings lend support to this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Guerra
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), Laboratory of Cancer Pathology, University “G. d’Annunzio”, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (E.G.); (M.T.)
- Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio”, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Roberta Di Pietro
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, Section of Biomorphology, University “G. d’Annunzio”, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (R.D.P.); (M.B.)
| | - Mariangela Basile
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, Section of Biomorphology, University “G. d’Annunzio”, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (R.D.P.); (M.B.)
| | - Marco Trerotola
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), Laboratory of Cancer Pathology, University “G. d’Annunzio”, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (E.G.); (M.T.)
- Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio”, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Saverio Alberti
- Unit of Medical Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
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Sun M, Xu P, Wang E, Zhou M, Xu T, Wang J, Wang Q, Wang B, Lu K, Wang C, Chen B. Novel two-chain structure utilizing KIRS2/DAP12 domain improves the safety and efficacy of CAR-T cells in adults with r/r B-ALL. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2021; 23:96-106. [PMID: 34703879 PMCID: PMC8517091 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2021.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Engineered T cells that express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have been a promising therapy for hematologic malignancies. The optimization of CAR structure using different signaling domains can alter a wide range of CAR-T cell properties, including anti-tumor activity, long-term persistence, and safety. In this study, we developed a novel CAR structure based on KIRS2/Dap12 for B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) antigen CD19 and compared the anti-tumor efficacy and safety of this construct in transduced T cells with standard second-generation CAR-T cells targeting CD19 for B-ALL in vitro and in vivo and in adult relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-ALL patients. We discovered that KIRS2/Dap12 receptor infused with 4-1BB co-stimulation domain could enhance anti-tumor efficacy by remarkably increasing the production of pro-inflammatory interleukin-2 (IL-2), especially when co-cultured with antigen-positive tumor cells. In addition, CD19-KIRS2/Dap12-BB CAR-T cells showed the inspiring outcome that complete responses were seen in 4 of 4 (100%) patients without neurotoxicity and a high rate of severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS) after CAR-T infusion in a phase I clinical trial. Given these encouraging findings, CD19-KIRS2/Dap12-BB CAR-T cells are safe and can lead to clinical responses in adult patients with r/r B-ALL, indicating that further assessment of this therapy is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Sun
- Department of Oncology Center, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Suzhou, PR China.,Nanjing CART Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210032, PR China
| | - Peipei Xu
- Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, PR China.,Clinical College of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nnajing 210008, PR China
| | - Enxiu Wang
- Nanjing CART Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210032, PR China.,Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise 533000, PR China.,Clinical Pathological Diagnosis & Research Center, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise 533000, PR China.,The Key Laboratory of Molecular Pathology (Hepatobiliary Diseases) of Guangxi, Baise 533000, PR China
| | - Min Zhou
- Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, PR China
| | - Tongpeng Xu
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, PR China
| | - Jing Wang
- Jiangsu Runtian Pharmaceutical Chain Pharmacy Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210000, PR China
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, PR China
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518107, PR China
| | - Kaihua Lu
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, PR China
| | - Chen Wang
- Nanjing CART Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210032, PR China.,Department of Research and Development, Nanjing Aide Institute of Immunotherapy, Nanjing 211808, PR China
| | - Bing Chen
- Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, PR China
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Kouakanou L, Peters C, Brown CE, Kabelitz D, Wang LD. Vitamin C, From Supplement to Treatment: A Re-Emerging Adjunct for Cancer Immunotherapy? Front Immunol 2021; 12:765906. [PMID: 34899716 PMCID: PMC8663797 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.765906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Vitamin C (VitC), in addition to its role as a general antioxidant, has long been considered to possess direct anti-cancer activity at high doses. VitC acts through oxidant and epigenetic mechanisms, which at high doses can exert direct killing of tumor cells in vitro and delay tumor growth in vivo. Recently, it has also been shown that pharmacologic-dose VitC can contribute to control of tumors by modulating the immune system, and studies have been done interrogating the role of physiologic-dose VitC on novel adoptive cellular therapies (ACTs). In this review, we discuss the effects of VitC on anti-tumor immune cells, as well as the mechanisms underlying those effects. We address important unanswered questions concerning both VitC and ACTs, and outline challenges and opportunities facing the use of VitC in the clinical setting as an adjunct to immune-based anti-cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léonce Kouakanou
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Christian Peters
- Institute of Immunology, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christine E Brown
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Dieter Kabelitz
- Institute of Immunology, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Leo D Wang
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, United States
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68
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Grunewald CM, Haist C, König C, Petzsch P, Bister A, Nößner E, Wiek C, Scheckenbach K, Köhrer K, Niegisch G, Hanenberg H, Hoffmann MJ. Epigenetic Priming of Bladder Cancer Cells With Decitabine Increases Cytotoxicity of Human EGFR and CD44v6 CAR Engineered T-Cells. Front Immunol 2021; 12:782448. [PMID: 34868059 PMCID: PMC8637820 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.782448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Treatment of B-cell malignancies with CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells marked a new era in immunotherapy, which yet has to be successfully adopted to solid cancers. Epigenetic inhibitors of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTi) and histone deacetylases (HDACi) can induce broad changes in gene expression of malignant cells, thus making these inhibitors interesting combination partners for immunotherapeutic approaches. Methods Urothelial carcinoma cell lines (UCC) and benign uroepithelial HBLAK cells pretreated with the DNMTi decitabine or the HDACi romidepsin were co-incubated with CAR T-cells directed against EGFR or CD44v6, and subsequent cytotoxicity assays were performed. Effects on T-cell cytotoxicity and surface antigen expression on UCC were determined by flow cytometry. We also performed next-generation mRNA sequencing of inhibitor-treated UCC and siRNA-mediated knockdown of potential regulators of CAR T-cell killing. Results Exposure to decitabine but not romidepsin enhanced CAR T-cell cytotoxicity towards all UCC lines, but not towards the benign HBLAK cells. Increased killing could neither be attributed to enhanced target antigen expression (EGFR and CD44v6) nor fully explained by changes in the T-cell ligands PD-L1, PD-L2, ICAM-1, or CD95. Instead, gene expression analysis suggested that regulators of cell survival and apoptosis were differentially induced by the treatment. Decitabine altered the balance between survival and apoptosis factors towards an apoptosis-sensitive state associated with increased CAR T-cell killing, while romidepsin, at least partially, tilted this balance in the opposite direction. Knockdown experiments with siRNA in UCC confirmed BID and BCL2L1/BCLX as two key factors for the altered susceptibility of the UCC. Conclusion Our data suggest that the combination of decitabine with CAR T-cell therapy is an attractive novel therapeutic approach to enhance tumor-specific killing of bladder cancer. Since BID and BCL2L1 are essential determinants for the susceptibility of a wide variety of malignant cells, their targeting might be additionally suitable for combination with immunotherapies, e.g., CAR T-cells or checkpoint inhibitors in other malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla M Grunewald
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Corinna Haist
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.,Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Carolin König
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Patrick Petzsch
- Biological and Medical Research Center (BMFZ), Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Arthur Bister
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.,Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Elfriede Nößner
- Immunoanalytics: Tissue Control of Immunocytes, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
| | - Constanze Wiek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Kathrin Scheckenbach
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Karl Köhrer
- Biological and Medical Research Center (BMFZ), Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Günter Niegisch
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Helmut Hanenberg
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.,Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Michèle J Hoffmann
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
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Chung H, Jung H, Noh JY. Emerging Approaches for Solid Tumor Treatment Using CAR-T Cell Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212126. [PMID: 34830003 PMCID: PMC8621681 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy is becoming more important in the clinical setting, especially for cancers resistant to conventional chemotherapy, including targeted therapy. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, which uses patient’s autologous T cells, combined with engineered T cell receptors, has shown remarkable results, with five US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals to date. CAR-T cells have been very effective in hematologic malignancies, such as diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), and multiple myeloma (MM); however, its effectiveness in treating solid tumors has not been evaluated clearly. Therefore, many studies and clinical investigations are emerging to improve the CAR-T cell efficacy in solid tumors. The novel therapeutic approaches include modifying CARs in multiple ways or developing a combination therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapies. In this review, we focus on the challenges and recent advancements in CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunmin Chung
- Immunotherapy Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Daejeon 34141, Korea;
- College of Pharmacy, Chungnam National University, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Korea
| | - Haiyoung Jung
- Immunotherapy Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Daejeon 34141, Korea;
- Department of Functional Genomics, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), 113 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Korea
- Correspondence: (H.J.); (J.-Y.N.)
| | - Ji-Yoon Noh
- Immunotherapy Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Daejeon 34141, Korea;
- Correspondence: (H.J.); (J.-Y.N.)
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70
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Hosseini M, Habibi Z, Hosseini N, Abdoli S, Rezaei N. Preclinical studies of chimeric antigen receptor-modified natural killer cells in cancer immunotherapy: a review. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2021; 22:349-366. [PMID: 34541989 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2021.1983539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION As one of the most efficacious methods of cancer immunotherapy, chimeric antigen receptor-modified immune cells have recently drawn enormous attention. After the great success achieved with CAR-T-cells in cancer treatment both in preclinical setting and in the clinic, other types of immune cells, including natural killer (NK)-cells and macrophages, have been evaluated for their anti-cancer effects along with their potential superiority against CAR-T-cells, especially in terms of safety. First introduced by Tran et al. almost 26 years ago, CAR-NK-cells are now being considered as efficient immunotherapeutic modalities in various types of cancers, not only in preclinical setting but also in numerous phase I and II clinical studies. AREAS COVERED In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive survey of the preclinical studies on CAR-NK-cells' development, with an evolutional approach on CAR structures and their associated signaling moieties. Current NK-cell sources and modes of gene transfer are also reviewed. EXPERT OPINION CAR-NK-cells have appeared as safe and effective immunotherapeutic tools in preclinical settings; however, designing CAR structures with an eye on their specific biology, along with choosing the optimal cell source and gene transfer method require further investigation to support clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Hosseini
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Habibi
- School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Narges Hosseini
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Sina Abdoli
- School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nima Rezaei
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,Research Center for Immunodeficiencies (RCID), Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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71
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Pietrobon V, Todd LA, Goswami A, Stefanson O, Yang Z, Marincola F. Improving CAR T-Cell Persistence. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910828. [PMID: 34639168 PMCID: PMC8509430 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last decade remarkable progress has been made in enhancing the efficacy of CAR T therapies. However, the clinical benefits are still limited, especially in solid tumors. Even in hematological settings, patients that respond to CAR T therapies remain at risk of relapsing due to several factors including poor T-cell expansion and lack of long-term persistence after adoptive transfer. This issue is even more evident in solid tumors, as the tumor microenvironment negatively influences the survival, infiltration, and activity of T-cells. Limited persistence remains a significant hindrance to the development of effective CAR T therapies due to several determinants, which are encountered from the cell manufacturing step and onwards. CAR design and ex vivo manipulation, including culture conditions, may play a pivotal role. Moreover, previous chemotherapy and lymphodepleting treatments may play a relevant role. In this review, the main causes for decreased persistence of CAR T-cells in patients will be discussed, focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying T-cell exhaustion. The approaches taken so far to overcome these limitations and to create exhaustion-resistant T-cells will be described. We will also examine the knowledge gained from several key clinical trials and highlight the molecular mechanisms determining T-cell stemness, as promoting stemness may represent an attractive approach to improve T-cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violena Pietrobon
- Refuge Biotechnologies, Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA; (A.G.); (O.S.); (Z.Y.)
- Correspondence: (V.P.); (F.M.)
| | - Lauren Anne Todd
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada;
| | - Anghsumala Goswami
- Refuge Biotechnologies, Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA; (A.G.); (O.S.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Ofir Stefanson
- Refuge Biotechnologies, Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA; (A.G.); (O.S.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Zhifen Yang
- Refuge Biotechnologies, Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA; (A.G.); (O.S.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Francesco Marincola
- Kite Pharma, Inc., Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA
- Correspondence: (V.P.); (F.M.)
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72
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Banik D, Hamidinia M, Brzostek J, Wu L, Stephens HM, MacAry PA, Reinherz EL, Gascoigne NRJ, Lang MJ. Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy Reveals Distinctions in Key Biophysical Parameters of αβ T-Cell Receptors Compared with Chimeric Antigen Receptors Directed at the Same Ligand. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:7566-7573. [PMID: 34347491 PMCID: PMC9082930 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c02240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies exploit facile antibody-mediated targeting to elicit useful immune responses in patients. This work directly compares binding profiles of CAR and αβ T-cell receptors (TCR) with single cell and single molecule optical trap measurements against a shared ligand. DNA-tethered measurements of peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) ligand interaction in both CAR and TCR exhibit catch bonds with specific peptide agonist peaking at 25 and 14 pN, respectively. While a conformational transition is regularly seen in TCR-pMHC systems, that of CAR-pMHC systems is dissimilar, being infrequent, of lower magnitude, and irreversible. Slip bonds are observed with CD19-specific CAR T-cells and with a monoclonal antibody mapping to the MHC α2 helix but indifferent to the bound peptide. Collectively, these findings suggest that the CAR-pMHC interface underpins the CAR catch bond response to pMHC ligands in contradistinction to slip bonds for CARs targeting canonical ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debasis Banik
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - Maryam Hamidinia
- Translational
Immunology Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Translational
Cancer Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Joanna Brzostek
- Translational
Immunology Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Translational
Cancer Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Ling Wu
- Translational
Immunology Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Translational
Cancer Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Hannah M. Stephens
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - Paul A. MacAry
- Translational
Immunology Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Translational
Cancer Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Ellis L. Reinherz
- Laboratory
of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Department
of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Department of
Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Nicholas R. J. Gascoigne
- Translational
Immunology Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Translational
Cancer Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Matthew J. Lang
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
- Department
of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
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73
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Watanabe K, Nishikawa H. Engineering strategies for broad application of TCR-T and CAR-T cell therapies. Int Immunol 2021; 33:551-562. [PMID: 34374779 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxab052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy, including the transfer of tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes after in vitro expansion or T cells redirected to tumor antigens using antigen-specific transgenic T cell receptor T cells (TCR-T cells) or chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells), has shown a significant clinical impact. Particularly, several types of CAR-T cell therapies have been approved for the treatment of hematological malignancies. The striking success of CAR-T cell therapies in hematological malignancies motivates their further expansion to a wide range of solid tumors, yet multiple obstacles, including the lack of proper target antigens exhibiting a tumor-specific expression pattern and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) impairing the effector functions of adoptively transferred T cells, have prevented clinical application. Gene engineering technologies such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system have enabled flexible reprograming of TCR/CAR-T cell signaling or loading genes that are targets of the tumor immunosuppression as a payload to overcome the difficulties. Here, we discuss recent advances in TCR/CAR-T cell engineering: various promising approaches to enhance the antitumor activity of adoptively transferred T cells in the TME for maximizing the efficacy and the safety of adoptive cell therapy are now being tested in the clinic, especially targeting solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Watanabe
- Division of Cancer Immunology, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Hiroyoshi Nishikawa
- Division of Cancer Immunology, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.,Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
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74
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Alfei F, Ho PC, Lo WL. DCision-making in tumors governs T cell anti-tumor immunity. Oncogene 2021; 40:5253-5261. [PMID: 34290401 PMCID: PMC8390370 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-021-01946-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The exploitation of T cell-based immunotherapies and immune checkpoint blockade for cancer treatment has dramatically shifted oncological treatment paradigms and broadened the horizons of cancer immunology. Dendritic cells have emerged as the critical tailors of T cell immune responses, which initiate and coordinate anti-tumor immunity. Importantly, genetic alterations in cancer cells, cytokines and chemokines produced by cancer and stromal cells, and the process of tumor microenvironmental regulation can compromise dendritic cell-T cell cross-talk, thereby disrupting anti-tumor T cell responses. This review summarizes how T cell activation is controlled by dendritic cells and how the tumor microenvironment alters dendritic cell properties in the context of the anti-tumor immune cycle. Furthermore, we will highlight therapeutic options for tailoring dendritic cell-mediated decision-making in T cells for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Alfei
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ping-Chih Ho
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Wan-Lin Lo
- Division of Rheumatology, Rosalind Russell and Ephraim P. Engleman Arthritis Research Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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75
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Multifaceted Role of the Transforming Growth Factor β on Effector T Cells and the Implication for CAR-T Cell Therapy. IMMUNO 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/immuno1030010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Evading the immune system is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Tumors escape anti-tumor immunity through cell-intrinsic means and the assembly of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. By significantly boosting the host immune system, cancer immunotherapies targeting immune checkpoint receptors (CTLA-4 and PD-1) improved survival in patients even with cancers previously considered rapidly fatal. Nevertheless, an important group of patients is refractory or relapse rapidly. The factors involved in the heterogeneous responses observed are still poorly understood. Other immunotherapeutic approaches are being developed that may widen the options, including adoptive cell therapy using CAR-T cells alone or in combination. Despite impressive results in B cell malignancies, many caveats and unanswered questions remain in other cancers, thus limiting the potential of this approach to treat aggressive diseases. In particular, a complex TME could impair the survival, proliferation, and effector functions of CAR-T cells. Recent reports highlight the potential of targeting TGF-β signaling to improve CAR-T cell therapy. TGF-β is a well-known regulatory cytokine with pleiotropic effects in the TME, including immunosuppression. This review summarizes recent work investigating the potential effects of TGF-β within the TME, with a focus on CAR-T behavior and efficacy. We also discuss several key questions to be addressed to accelerate clinical translation of this approach.
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76
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Crawford A, Chiu D. Targeting Solid Tumors Using CD3 Bispecific Antibodies. Mol Cancer Ther 2021; 20:1350-1358. [PMID: 34045228 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-21-0073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapies to treat cancer have made tremendous progress over the past decade. In particular, T cell-directed therapies have gained considerable attention with CD3 bispecific antibodies and CAR T cells showing potent responses against hematologic tumors. At present, the ability to adapt these therapeutics to treat solid tumors is less established. Herein, we discuss recent advances in T cell-engaging CD3 bispecific antibodies targeting solid tumors, potential mechanisms of resistance, and future prospects. A better understanding of the mechanisms of immune evasion in solid tumors will enable the development of strategies to overcome this resistance and inform choices of therapeutic combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Danica Chiu
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, New York
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77
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Sanber K, Savani B, Jain T. Graft-versus-host disease risk after chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy: the diametric opposition of T cells. Br J Haematol 2021; 195:660-668. [PMID: 34036558 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.17544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has brought a paradigm shift in the management of haematological malignancies and has opened novel avenues of investigational therapeutic strategies. Given these encouraging responses, it has become imperative to understand the full spectrum of biology and potential toxicities that can arise from these novel agents, as well as those under investigation. With the increasing use of CAR T-cell therapy for relapse following allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and the imminence of allogeneic CAR T cells, risks from T cell-based therapy, such as the previously well-recognised graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), have gained prominence and warrant explanation. In the present review, we discuss the risk of GVHD in the: (1) post-HCT setting using recipient or donor-derived CAR T cells, as well as (2) non-HCT setting using autologous, as well as allogeneic T-cell therapies. A better understanding of this risk is important to advance the field and ensure safe development and use of these agents in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled Sanber
- Division of Hematological Malignancies and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bipin Savani
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Tania Jain
- Division of Hematological Malignancies and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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78
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Hossain NM, Stiff PJ. Expanding the Toolbox of Adoptive Cell Immunotherapy. J Clin Oncol 2021; 39:1479-1482. [PMID: 33764792 DOI: 10.1200/jco.21.00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nasheed M Hossain
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL
| | - Patrick J Stiff
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL
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79
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Gong Y, Klein Wolterink RGJ, Wang J, Bos GMJ, Germeraad WTV. Chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) cell design and engineering for cancer therapy. J Hematol Oncol 2021; 14:73. [PMID: 33933160 PMCID: PMC8088725 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-021-01083-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to their efficient recognition and lysis of malignant cells, natural killer (NK) cells are considered as specialized immune cells that can be genetically modified to obtain capable effector cells for adoptive cellular treatment of cancer patients. However, biological and technical hurdles related to gene delivery into NK cells have dramatically restrained progress. Recent technological advancements, including improved cell expansion techniques, chimeric antigen receptors (CAR), CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and enhanced viral transduction and electroporation, have endowed comprehensive generation and characterization of genetically modified NK cells. These promising developments assist scientists and physicians to design better applications of NK cells in clinical therapy. Notably, redirecting NK cells using CARs holds important promise for cancer immunotherapy. Various preclinical and a limited number of clinical studies using CAR-NK cells show promising results: efficient elimination of target cells without side effects, such as cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity which are seen in CAR-T therapies. In this review, we focus on the details of CAR-NK technology, including the design of efficient and safe CAR constructs and associated NK cell engineering techniques: the vehicles to deliver the CAR-containing transgene, detection methods for CARs, as well as NK cell sources and NK cell expansion. We summarize the current CAR-NK cell literature and include valuable lessons learned from the CAR-T cell field. This review also provides an outlook on how these approaches may transform current clinical products and protocols for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Gong
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,GROW - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Roel G J Klein Wolterink
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,GROW - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Jianxiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 288 Nanjing Road, Tianjin, 300020, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 288 Nanjing Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
| | - Gerard M J Bos
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,GROW - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,CiMaas BV, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Wilfred T V Germeraad
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands. .,GROW - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. .,CiMaas BV, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
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80
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Lee JB, Vasic D, Kang H, Fang KKL, Zhang L. State-of-Art of Cellular Therapy for Acute Leukemia. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094590. [PMID: 33925571 PMCID: PMC8123829 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With recent clinical breakthroughs, immunotherapy has become the fourth pillar of cancer treatment. Particularly, immune cell-based therapies have been envisioned as a promising treatment option with curative potential for leukemia patients. Hence, an increasing number of preclinical and clinical studies focus on various approaches of immune cell-based therapy for treatment of acute leukemia (AL). However, the use of different immune cell lineages and subsets against different types of leukemia and patient disease statuses challenge the interpretation of the clinical applicability and outcome of immune cell-based therapies. This review aims to provide an overview on recent approaches using various immune cell-based therapies against acute B-, T-, and myeloid leukemias. Further, the apparent limitations observed and potential approaches to overcome these limitations are discussed.
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MESH Headings
- Acute Disease
- Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy
- Humans
- Immunotherapy
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/trends
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy
- Leukemia, T-Cell/metabolism
- Leukemia, T-Cell/therapy
- Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/metabolism
- Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/therapy
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong-Bok Lee
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada; (J.-B.L.); (D.V.); (H.K.); (K.K.-L.F.)
| | - Daniel Vasic
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada; (J.-B.L.); (D.V.); (H.K.); (K.K.-L.F.)
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Hyeonjeong Kang
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada; (J.-B.L.); (D.V.); (H.K.); (K.K.-L.F.)
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Karen Kai-Lin Fang
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada; (J.-B.L.); (D.V.); (H.K.); (K.K.-L.F.)
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Li Zhang
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada; (J.-B.L.); (D.V.); (H.K.); (K.K.-L.F.)
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
- Correspondence:
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81
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CAR-T in Cancer Treatment: Develop in Self-Optimization, Win-Win in Cooperation. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13081955. [PMID: 33921581 PMCID: PMC8072891 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has exhibited good application prospects in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. However, there are still many unsolved problems, such as the limited antitumor effect of CAR-T on solid tumors and the potential risk of CAR-T therapy in clinical applications. In order to meet these challenges, more and more solutions are proposed. Therefore, in this review, we have discussed the recent breakthroughs in CAR-T therapy for cancer treatment, with an emphasis on the potentially effective CAR-T modifications and combined strategies. Abstract Despite remarkable achievements in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy still faces many obstacles. The limited antitumor activity and persistence of infused CAR-T cells, especially in solid tumors, are the main limiting factors for CAR-T therapy. Moreover, clinical security and accessibility are important unmet needs for the application of CAR-T therapy. In view of these challenges, many potentially effective solutions have been proposed and confirmed. Both the independent and combined strategies of CAR-T therapy have exhibited good application prospects. Thus, in this review, we have discussed the cutting-edge breakthroughs in CAR-T therapy for cancer treatment, with the aim of providing a reference for addressing the current challenges.
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82
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Schwerdtfeger M, Benmebarek MR, Endres S, Subklewe M, Desiderio V, Kobold S. Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T Cells and T Cell-Engaging Bispecific Antibodies: Different Tools for the Same Job. Curr Hematol Malig Rep 2021; 16:218-233. [PMID: 33939108 PMCID: PMC8154758 DOI: 10.1007/s11899-021-00628-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Both chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and T cell-engaging antibodies (BiAb) have been approved for the treatment of hematological malignancies. However, despite targeting the same antigen, they represent very different classes of therapeutics, each with its distinct advantages and drawbacks. In this review, we compare BiAb and CAR T cells with regard to their mechanism of action, manufacturing, and clinical application. In addition, we present novel strategies to overcome limitations of either approach and to combine the best of both worlds. RECENT FINDINGS By now there are multiple approaches combining the advantages of BiAb and CAR T cells. A major area of research is the application of both formats for solid tumor entities. This includes improving the infiltration of T cells into the tumor, counteracting immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment, targeting antigen heterogeneity, and limiting off-tumor on-target effects. BiAb come with the major advantage of being an off-the-shelf product and are more controllable because of their half-life. They have also been reported to induce less frequent and less severe adverse events. CAR T cells in turn demonstrate superior response rates, have the potential for long-term persistence, and can be additionally genetically modified to overcome some of their limitations, e.g., to make them more controllable.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Bispecific/genetics
- Antibodies, Bispecific/immunology
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Genetic Engineering
- Humans
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/adverse effects
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Lymphocyte Activation/immunology
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/immunology
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/metabolism
- Neoplasms/etiology
- Neoplasms/therapy
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/genetics
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/immunology
- Signal Transduction
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Tumor Microenvironment/genetics
- Tumor Microenvironment/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Schwerdtfeger
- Center of Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPS-M) and Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Mohamed-Reda Benmebarek
- Center of Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPS-M) and Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Endres
- Center of Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPS-M) and Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), Munich, Germany
- Einheit für Klinische Pharmakologie (EKLiP), Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Marion Subklewe
- Department of Medicine III, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Vincenzo Desiderio
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Sebastian Kobold
- Center of Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPS-M) and Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, Klinikum der Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), Munich, Germany
- Einheit für Klinische Pharmakologie (EKLiP), Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), Neuherberg, Germany
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Ochi T, Maruta M, Tanimoto K, Kondo F, Yamamoto T, Kurata M, Fujiwara H, Masumoto J, Takenaka K, Yasukawa M. A single-chain antibody generation system yielding CAR-T cells with superior antitumor function. Commun Biol 2021; 4:273. [PMID: 33654176 PMCID: PMC7925539 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01791-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy using T cells redirected with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) has shown a lot of promise. We have established a single-chain antibody (scFv) generation system in which scFv library-expressing CAR-T cells can be screened appropriately based on their antitumor functions. A variable region library containing the variable and J regions of the human immunoglobulin light or heavy chain was fused with the variable region of a heavy or light chain encoded by an existing tumor-specific antibody to generate a new scFv library. Then, scFv library-expressing CAR-T cells were generated and stimulated with target cells to concentrate the antigen-specific population. Using this system, target-specific recognition of CAR-T cells appeared to be finely tuned by selecting a new variable region. Importantly, we have demonstrated that the newly optimized scFv-expressing CAR-T cells had better proliferation capacity and durable phenotypes, enabling superior reactivity against advanced tumors in vivo in comparison with the original CAR-T cells. Therefore, the optimization of an scFv is needed to maximize the in vivo antitumor functions of CAR-T cells. This system may allow us to adjust an immunological synapse formed by an scFv expressed by CAR-T cells and a target antigen, representing an ideal form of CAR-T-cell immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiki Ochi
- Department of Hematology, Clinical Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan.
- Division of Immune Regulation, Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, Toon, Ehime, Japan.
| | - Masaki Maruta
- Department of Hematology, Clinical Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Kazushi Tanimoto
- Department of Hematology, Clinical Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Fumitake Kondo
- Department of Hematology, Clinical Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Yamamoto
- Department of Analytical Pathology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Mie Kurata
- Department of Analytical Pathology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
- Division of Pathology, Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Fujiwara
- Department of Hematology, Clinical Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
- Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie, Japan
| | - Junya Masumoto
- Department of Analytical Pathology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
- Division of Pathology, Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Katsuto Takenaka
- Department of Hematology, Clinical Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Masaki Yasukawa
- Division of Immune Regulation, Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, Toon, Ehime, Japan
- Ehime Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Tobe, Ehime, Japan
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84
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Greenman R, Pizem Y, Haus-Cohen M, Goor A, Horev G, Denkberg G, Sinik K, Elbaz Y, Bronner V, Levin AG, Horn G, Shen-Orr S, Reiter Y. Shaping Functional Avidity of CAR T Cells: Affinity, Avidity, and Antigen Density That Regulate Response. Mol Cancer Ther 2021; 20:872-884. [PMID: 33649106 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-19-1109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are immunoreceptors that redirect T cells to selectively kill tumor cells. Given their clinical successes in hematologic malignancies, there is a strong aspiration to advance this immunotherapy for solid cancers; hence, molecular CAR design and careful target choice are crucial for their function. To evaluate the functional significance of the biophysical properties of CAR binding (i.e., affinity, avidity, and antigen density), we generated an experimental system in which these properties are controllable. We constructed and characterized a series of CARs, which target the melanoma tumor-associated antigen Tyr/HLA-A2, and in which the affinity of the single-chain Fv binding domains ranged in KD from 4 to 400 nmol/L. These CARs were transduced into T cells, and each CAR T-cell population was sorted by the level of receptor expression. Finally, the various CAR T cells were encountered with target cells that present different levels of the target antigen. We detected nonmonotonic behaviors of affinity and antigen density, and an interrelation between avidity and antigen density. Antitumor activity measurements in vitro and in vivo corroborated these observations. Our study contributes to the understanding of CAR T-cell function and regulation, having the potential to improve therapies by the rational design of CAR T cells.See related article on p. 946.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raanan Greenman
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yoav Pizem
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Maya Haus-Cohen
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Alona Goor
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Guy Horev
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Galit Horn
- Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (TASMC), Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shai Shen-Orr
- Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yoram Reiter
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
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85
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Sivaganesh V, Promi N, Maher S, Peethambaran B. Emerging Immunotherapies against Novel Molecular Targets in Breast Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:2433. [PMID: 33670942 PMCID: PMC7957700 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is a highly emerging form of breast cancer therapy that enables clinicians to target cancers with specific receptor expression profiles. Two popular immunotherapeutic approaches involve chimeric antigen receptor-T cells (CAR-T) and bispecific antibodies (BsAb). Briefly mentioned in this review as well is the mRNA vaccine technology recently popularized by the COVID-19 vaccine. These forms of immunotherapy can highly select for the tumor target of interest to generate specific tumor lysis. Along with improvements in CAR-T, bispecific antibody engineering, and therapeutic administration, much research has been done on novel molecular targets that can especially be useful for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) immunotherapy. Combining emerging immunotherapeutics with tumor marker discovery sets the stage for highly targeted immunotherapy to be the future of cancer treatments. This review highlights the principles of CAR-T and BsAb therapy, improvements in CAR and BsAb engineering, and recently identified human breast cancer markers in the context of in vitro or in vivo CAR-T or BsAb treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vignesh Sivaganesh
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, 600 S 43rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (V.S.); (N.P.); (S.M.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 4170 City Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19131, USA
| | - Nazifa Promi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, 600 S 43rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (V.S.); (N.P.); (S.M.)
| | - Salma Maher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, 600 S 43rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (V.S.); (N.P.); (S.M.)
| | - Bela Peethambaran
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, 600 S 43rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (V.S.); (N.P.); (S.M.)
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86
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Adoptive Cell Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Biological Rationale and First Results in Early Phase Clinical Trials. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13020271. [PMID: 33450845 PMCID: PMC7828372 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13020271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is quickly increasing worldwide. In unresectable HCC, the cornerstone of systemic treatments is switching from tyrosine kinase inhibitors to immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICI). Next to ICI, adoptive cell transfer represents another promising field of immunotherapy. Targeting tumor associated antigens such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), glypican-3 (GPC3), or New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-1 (NY-ESO-1), T cell receptor (TCR) engineered T cells and chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) engineered T cells are emerging as potentially effective therapies, with objective responses reported in early phase trials. In this review, we address the biological rationale of TCR/CAR engineered T cells in advanced HCC, their mechanisms of action, and results from recent clinical trials.
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87
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Wei Y, Li C, Bian H, Qian W, Jin K, Xu T, Guo X, Lu X, Su F. Targeting CDK7 suppresses super enhancer-linked inflammatory genes and alleviates CAR T cell-induced cytokine release syndrome. Mol Cancer 2021; 20:5. [PMID: 33397398 PMCID: PMC7780220 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-020-01301-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a systemic inflammatory response characterized by the overexpression of inflammatory genes. Controlling CRS is essential for improving the therapeutic effects of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineered T cells. However, current treatment options are limited given the complexity of cytokine interactions so it is important to seek a mild strategy with broad-spectrum inhibition to overcome this challenge. METHODS Using THZ1, a covalent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7), we demonstrated the transcriptional suppression of inflammatory genes in activated macrophages. RNA sequencing and ChIP sequencing were conducted to identify the key target genes of the inflammatory response. Pathogen- and CAR T cell-induced CRS models were also established to assess the efficacy and safety of targeting CDK7. RESULTS CDK7 blockade attenuated cytokine release, mitigated hyperinflammatory states and rescued mice from lethal CRS. Targeting CDK7 preferentially suppressed a set of inflammatory genes, of which STAT1 and IL1 were the key targets associated with super enhancers. Furthermore, we confirmed the potent efficacy of THZ1 in alleviating the CRS induced by CAR T cell infusion without causing tissue injury or impairing antitumor effects. CONCLUSIONS Our work indicates the CDK7-dependent transcription addiction of inflammatory genes. Targeting CDK7 is a promising strategy for treating CRS by inhibiting multiple cytokines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Wei
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Chong Li
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Huifang Bian
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Wei Qian
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Kairui Jin
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Tingting Xu
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xiaomao Guo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Xueguan Lu
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Fengtao Su
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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88
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Chang M, Hou Z, Wang M, Li C, Lin J. Recent Advances in Hyperthermia Therapy-Based Synergistic Immunotherapy. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2004788. [PMID: 33289219 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202004788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 60.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The past decades have witnessed hyperthermia therapy (HTT) as an emerging strategy against malignant tumors. Nanomaterial-based photothermal therapy (PTT) and magnetic hyperthermia (MHT), as highly effective and noninvasive treatment models, offer advantages over other strategies in the treatment of different types of tumors. However, both PTT and MHT cannot completely cure cancer due to recurrence and distal metastasis. In recent years, cancer immunotherapy has attracted widespread attention owing to its capability to activate the body's own natural defense to identify, attack, and eradicate cancer cells. Significant efforts have been devoted to studying the activated immune responses caused by hyperthermia-ablated tumors. In this article, the synergistic mechanism of HTT in immunotherapy, including immunogenic cell death and reversal of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment is discussed. The reports of the combination of HTT or HTT-based multimodal therapy with immunotherapy, including immunoadjuvant exploitation, immune checkpoint blockade therapy, and adoptive cellular immunotherapy are summarized. As highlighted, these strategies could achieve synergistically enhanced therapeutic outcomes against both primary tumors and metastatic lesions, prevent cancer recurrence, and prolong the survival period. Finally, current challenges and prospective developments in HTT-synergized immunotherapy are also reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyu Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, P. R. China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Sciences and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P. R. China
| | - Zhiyao Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, P. R. China
- Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Modification and Degradation, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong, 511436, P. R. China
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510095, P. R. China
| | - Man Wang
- Institute of Molecular Sciences and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, P. R. China
| | - Chunxia Li
- Institute of Molecular Sciences and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, P. R. China
| | - Jun Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, P. R. China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Sciences and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P. R. China
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89
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Atypical immunometabolism and metabolic reprogramming in liver cancer: Deciphering the role of gut microbiome. Adv Cancer Res 2020; 149:171-255. [PMID: 33579424 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2020.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Much recent research has delved into understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of HCC pathogenesis, which has revealed to be heterogenous and complex. Two major hallmarks of HCC include: (i) a hijacked immunometabolism and (ii) a reprogramming in metabolic processes. We posit that the gut microbiota is a third component in an entanglement triangle contributing to HCC progression. Besides metagenomic studies highlighting the diagnostic potential in the gut microbiota profile, recent research is pinpointing the gut microbiota as an instigator, not just a mere bystander, in HCC. In this chapter, we discuss mechanistic insights on atypical immunometabolism and metabolic reprogramming in HCC, including the examination of tumor-associated macrophages and neutrophils, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (e.g., T-cell exhaustion, regulatory T-cells, natural killer T-cells), the Warburg effect, rewiring of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and glutamine addiction. We further discuss the potential involvement of the gut microbiota in these characteristics of hepatocarcinogenesis. An immediate highlight is that microbiota metabolites (e.g., short chain fatty acids, secondary bile acids) can impair anti-tumor responses, which aggravates HCC. Lastly, we describe the rising 'new era' of immunotherapies (e.g., immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive T-cell transfer) and discuss for the potential incorporation of gut microbiota targeted therapeutics (e.g., probiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation) to alleviate HCC. Altogether, this chapter invigorates for continuous research to decipher the role of gut microbiome in HCC from its influence on immunometabolism and metabolic reprogramming.
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90
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Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC): current status and future perspectives. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2020; 70:619-631. [PMID: 33025047 PMCID: PMC7907037 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-020-02735-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
There has been a rapid progress in developing genetically engineered T cells in recent years both in basic and clinical cancer studies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells exert an immune response against various cancers, including the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As novel agents of immunotherapy, CAR-T cells show great promise for NSCLC. However, targeting specific antigens in NSCLC with engineered CAR-T cells is complicated because of a lack of tumor-specific antigens, the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, low levels of infiltration of CAR-T cells into tumor tissue, and tumor antigen escape. Meanwhile, the clinical application of CAR-T cells remains limited due to the cases of on-target/off-tumor and neurological toxicity, as well as cytokine release syndrome. Hence, optimal CAR-T-cell design against NSCLC is urgently needed. In this review, we describe the basic structure and generation of CAR-T cells and summarize the common tumor-associated antigens targeted in clinical trials on CAR-T-cell therapy for NSCLC, as well as point out current challenges and novel strategies. Although many obstacles remain, the new/next generation of CARs show much promise. Taken together, research on CAR-T cells for the treatment of NSCLC is underway and has yielded promising preliminary results both in basic and pre-clinical medicine. More pre-clinical experiments and clinical trials are, therefore, warranted.
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91
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Zhylko A, Winiarska M, Graczyk-Jarzynka A. The Great War of Today: Modifications of CAR-T Cells to Effectively Combat Malignancies. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2030. [PMID: 32722109 PMCID: PMC7466082 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy of cancer had its early beginnings in the times when the elements of the immune system were still poorly characterized. However, with the progress in molecular biology, it has become feasible to re-engineer T cells in order to eradicate tumour cells. The use of synthetic chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) helped to re-target and simultaneously unleash the cytotoxic potential of T cells. CAR-T therapy proved to be remarkably effective in cases of haematological malignancies, often refractory and relapsed. The success of this approach yielded two Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for the first "living drug" modalities. However, CAR-T therapy is not without flaws. Apart from the side effects associated with the treatment, it became apparent that CAR introduction alters T cell biology and the possible therapeutic outcomes. Additionally, it was shown that CAR-T approaches in solid tumours do not recapitulate the success in the haemato-oncology. Therefore, in this review, we aim to discuss the recent concerns of CAR-T therapy for both haematological and solid tumours. We also summarise the general strategies that are implemented to enhance the efficacy and safety of the CAR-T regimens in blood and solid malignancies.
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